Smoking beans and veal

Veal and pork sausage has been a challenge for me. I've come up with a few recipes (see my previous Opa's entries) that were palatable enough. 

But comparing veal brats to other sausages, these don't come close to my Top 10. "It's not you, veal brat. It's me. I prefer the taste of grain and grass-fed meats over milk-fed any day."

I do, however, offer a couple more suggestions on recipes. One is to check out Opa's website for a dish involving simmering the bratwurst in beer. 

Or you can go with this: a spicy stew using pinto beans and chipotle. It's all about the bean soup. Boil a cup of beans in salt, cilantro seasoning, chopped garlic and one chopped chipotle pepper (this is also known as morita seca or roasted, smoked jalapeno). You end up with a smoky-flavored, tasty bean soup.

Don't ask me to explain the chemistry, but for whatever reason, veal/pork sausage goes really well with this dish. Open a George Killian red (or your choice of beer) and enjoy. 

I find that veal/pork sausage chopped into this (I did grill the brats first) provides a great balance. There is something sufficiently earthy about the smoky beans and spices that overcome that milky taste in the veal.

I guess it's kind of like what happens to milk in chocolate. Does that make sense?

Buen provecho!

I guess it's kind of like what happens to milk in chocolate. Does that make sense?

Buen provecho!

Chorizo San Luis: when you want a little more fat

Chorizo San Luis is another chorizo product from San Antonio-based Chorizo de San Manuel Inc.

I've written on Chorizo de San Manuel, which is a leaner sausage. And from this company, the lean choice is my favorite. But a lower fat chorizo is uncommon. Traditionally, chorizos are very greasy, so accommodate the public's preferences, Chorizo de San Manuel provides a few choices.

Chorizo San Luis: traditional chorizo with the grease

Nothing all that new with the breakfast recipe, though. This plate is lightly grilled chorizo. Put the hot pepper and onion on next, and the scrambled egg goes in last.

Well, almost last. I chopped some cotija cheese and mixed that in while the egg cooked. Don't overcook, don't let it dry out.

Top this with fresh chopped tomato and serve with greased up white corn tortillas. As long as we're going with a greasier chorizo, why not go all the way and heat the tortillas on the same greasy grill? You can work the fat off later.

Yes, there's a few extra calories, but it's not like I'm asking you to stuff yourself with chocolate cake.

Buen provecho!
And forget I mentioned cake.

A Tex-Mex Country sausage breakfast

Tex-Mex country sausage breakfast

Chorizo may be the preferred sausage in Hispanic households, but the "country sausage taco," (that's what we call it), has been a popular alternative for generations.

Any Polish pork or beef (or pork and beef) sausage link will do.

In its plainest form, you get chopped and grilled kielbasa sausage scrambled with egg. Onion and other fixings are optional.

This plate is a pork sausage chopped and grilled with scrambled egg and grilled, chopped onion and poblano pepper (the traditional peppers for a meal like this are jalapeno or serrano, but if you've been following my blog you know I prefer poblano).

The tomato is chopped fresh and put on the side.

As you can see, the white corn tortillas are getting heated.

The tortillas are store-bought. I've been wanting to give a recipe for making homemade tortillas, but it turns out that I suck at it. Okay, that's a little harsh. My homemade are edible, but I haven't gotten them to come out "a toda madre" (totally awesome). They're not like what I get at Garibaldis on Bandera Road. (A San Antonio hole in the wall that we frequent.)

Buen provecho!

Kiolbassa gets distribution deal with Sam's Club

Here's some welcome news. Kiolbassa sausage is expanding its territory.

Kiolbassa Provision Co. entered a distribution agreement with Sam's Club that will put the San Antonio-based sausage maker's products in 73 stores in the upper Midwest and Southeast, reaching into 12 states.


Kiolbassa brand sausage can be found in grocery stores such as H-E-B, Costco, Wal-Mart, Brookshire's, Albertsons, Super S, Lawrence Brothers, Grocery Outlet and several others across parts of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, and Washington, as well as Texas. Find a complete distribution list at www.kiolbassa.com/what-s-grilling.


As the third-generation Kiolbassa to head the San Antonio-based sausage manufacturer, company President Michael Kiolbassa explains that his family name, which means sausage in Polish, goes beyond a mere icebreaker. It’s a marketing opportunity written into his family’s DNA, says the 48-year-old Kiolbassa, whose family traces its roots to the first migration of Polish immigrants to mid 19th century America.

The Kiolbassa brand has grown to become a market leader in Texas using its "Real Meat, Real Smoke, Real Sausage" tagline to symbolize its commitment to quality and freshness against national competitors.

Founded in 1949, Kiolbassa brand sausage is made with choice beef and pork, fresh spices, and is naturally smoked. It has no fillers, no MSG, and is gluten free. In fact, it has the lowest sodium content among its national competitors, a bonus for health-conscious consumers fixing more meals at home.

“Generation after generation, Kiolbassa brand sausage has been the choice for consumers who demand quality and expect excellence,” says Kiolbassa. 

The 25,000-square-feet Texas plant will produce 10.5 million pounds of sausage this year. Sam’s Club in-store demos will encourage shoppers to sample Kiolbassa.

“If it’s not the best sausage you’ve ever eaten, we’ll give you your money back. Guaranteed,” says Kiolbassa, adding that the company’s growth has been built on that commitment.

Kiolbassa’s popular high school tailgating tradition airs on Food Network’s “Unwrapped.” A complete list of products, recipe promotions are 

at www.kiolbassa.com.